description

Handmade, hole punched, and hand spray-painted box made by the artist in 2011 enveloping the artist's book / exhibition catalogue edited and designed by Josh Smith and Todd Amicon published in conjunction with show held May 7 - December 31, 2009. Book accompanied the exhibition and expanded the show by introducing a new interpretation of the collection in book form – another guest, another ghost. "Borrowing its title from one of Marcel Duchamp’s aphorisms, A GUEST + A HOST = A GHOST is constructed as a series of solo exhibitions, many of which have been conceived and installed by the participating artists themselves. A comprehensive presentation of some of the artists that Dakis Jouannou has been collecting in depth over the past few years, A GUEST + A HOST = A GHOST showcases ambitious works, signature pieces, and new productions by: Pawel Althamer, Maurizio Cattelan, Paul Chan, Nathalie Djurberg, Marcel Duchamp, Urs Fischer, Robert Gober, Jeff Koons, Paul McCarthy, Seth Price, Gregor Schneider, Kiki Smith, Kara Walker, Andro Wekua, and Franz West. In a series of symbiotic encounters and parasitic relationships, the solo presentations are often interrupted by incongruous presences or perturbed by unusual juxtapositions: drawings by Kara Walker surround a tomb by Urs Fischer; Maurizio Cattelan’s homeless man kneels down in front of Kiki Smith’s Bat Woman; Robert Gober’s haunted rooms incorporate Gregor Schneider’s architectural fragments; Seth Price’s vacuum figures face off a work by Jeff Koons. Each artwork turns into the ghostly reflection of its neighbor, making it impossible to distinguish hosts from guests, friendly creatures from menacing shadows. The exhibition is organized by the Deste Foundation with Massimiliano Gioni as curatorial advisor." -- from book's forward. Text in English.